Nujoma, Pohamba under fire

SOME delegates to the ongoing second national land conference and many others yesterday dismissed the call for a referendum to amend the Constitution and expropriate farms without compensation.

Founding President Sam Nujoma and former President Hifikepunye Pohamba called for the amendment on Monday when they addressed the five-day conference underway in Windhoek.

Both Nujoma and Pohamba expressed concern that 70% of commercial freehold land is owned by the previously advantaged and foreigners.

The two also expressed dismay with the inclusion of the issue of ancestral land claims on the agenda.

Nudo’;s deputy secretary general, Vetaruhe Kandorozu, however, yesterday said the two former Presidents failed to call for a referendum to address the land question during their tenures.

He stated that the two were shifting the blame to the current administration, and causing despondency by rejecting discussions on ancestral land and their proposals to amend the Constitution.

“Their speeches were uncalled for and unbalanced. They realised that they did not fix the issue, and now want to place pressure on the current President to fix their mistake,” Kandorozu stressed.

The Erongo Farmers Association also said there is no way the Constitution can be changed, especially when it comes to the issue of land.

Cashbox van Wyk, a member of the association, said if amending the Constitution is allowed, then anything can be done.

“We all want land, but if the government could just take all the land and own it, then they would have all the money, and this would be Communism,” he said.

Van Wyk added that the government could not amend or alter the Constitution, especially when it comes to land.

According to him, the government already has land, but does not have the money to develop it.

“Now, if they have all the land, how are they going to develop it if they do not have money?” he asked.

Other farmers told this newspaper that land expropriation should be done within the framework of the Constitution which guarantees property rights.

Keetmanshoop resident Adam Isaak also rejected the call for a referendum, describing it as a move with “tribal undertones”.

He said the move is exclusively aimed at nullifying the call by minorities for ancestral land restitution.

“The nationalisation of land would never resolve the ancestral land issue. Instead, it would be destructive to the country,” he warned.

“The country’;s economy will also suffer if this referendum is allowed to sail through,” Isaak added.

Another Keetmanshoop resident, Dawid Isak Vries, said he will not endorse the proposed referendum, as it would negatively affect those who were deprived of their land during German colonial rule.

“They will get poorer instead of getting back their land, which they can use to get out of poverty,” he reasoned.

Tiekie Prinsloo from Keetmanshoop said he was not against the referendum, but suggested that should the proposed referendum get a yes vote, land must be given to landless citizens, as well as title deeds.

“Government has enough land, but it is not utilising it productively,” he added.

Charles Siyauya, chairperson of the Bukalo Village Council in the Zambezi region, however, said he was inspired by the wisdom and direction set by Nujoma and Pohamba on the proposed referendum.

“It is a noble and democratic way to reach consensus in a land of contrasts such as ours, where diversity and divergent views rule supreme. The Constitution is not static, but dynamic. By its nature, it must speak or respond to the growing needs of its beneficiaries, who are Namibian citizens. As such, I associate myself with the referendum call, and urge all peace-loving Namibians to act likewise,’;’; he stated.

Siyauya added that the Constitution is meant for the people, and only people can decide what is best for their country.

“It is sad that 7% of the population controls 67,1% of commercially viable agricultural land in the country. These are the people who benefited from past colonial and apartheid regimes, and there is a reluctance to share land equitably with those who lost it by force.

“The push to amend the Constitution is a sign of the prolonged frustration of the black majority of our country. White farmers must realise the urgent need to come to the negotiating table as One Namibia One Nation, rather than creating a country out of a country.

“I acknowledge the contribution of our white farmers to the economy. However, we need to share our resources equally, which most white farmers are not willing to do,’;’; continued Siyauya.

Benjamin Limbo, the president of the Zambezi Business People’;s Forum, said it surprised him to hear a former President who led the country’;s administration for more than 10 years stating that something is wrong with the Constitution.